Hang Dai, a contemporary Chinese restaurant from Karl Whelan and Will Dempsey, has opened its doors on Camden Street in Dublin.
Whelan, the executive chef of award-winning Luna, will serve 'Snack' options such as preserved duck egg with pickled soy, 'Share' options like pork dumplings with sweet soy and a signature dish of Beijing-style duck which has been cooked on a wood-fired roasted oven for 50 minutes. The latter, which consists of three parts, includes a duck broth; roast duck leg with a Cantonese-style soy sauce; and thinly sliced duck with pancakes and cucumber, costing €80 for a whole duck or €40 for half a duck. The restaurant decor is described as 'Blade Runner, Chinese style'.
Meanwhile, restaurateur Kristan Burness has opened Di Luca Wine Bar e Trattoria on Dublin's Harcourt Street. Its dinner menu comprises of dishes such as wild boar meatballs; Wicklow venison ragu with hand-cut papperdelle; mushroom risotto with white truffle cream; and classic Italian dessert dish tiramisu.
Check 22, a new breakfast and lunch spot, has also opened on Harcourt Street. It offers healthy breakfast options as well as seasonal sandwiches and "hearty hot pots" for lunch with pastries coming from neighbours The Bretzel Bakery.
The award-winning Wild & Native Seafood Restaurant & Wine bar in Rosslare, run by Fergal and Jodie Dempsey, is to open a gourmet food store in Wexford town. It will sell a variety of takeaway meals and side dishes which have been made in the Rosslare restaurant, only requiring reheating by customers, reports The Irish Independent.
Elsewhere, popular music venue, JJ Smyths on Aungier Street, is to close its doors after being sold to a new owner, reports Lovindublin.com. The family-owned pub, which had become one of Ireland's longest running venues for jazz and blues gigs, will close at the end of the month.
The Candied Walnut from Barry and Dawn Hayden has opened in Naas, Co Kildare. Executive chef of the restaurant and wine bar, Barry Hayden, is cooking classic dishes such as pan-fried king scallops with cauliflower puree and pancetta crisp; chocolate fondant with salted ice cream, and is open for lunch and dinner.
